Handle carton



Feb. 6, 1962 N. c. VAUGHAN-PARKS 3,019,960

HANDLE CARTON Filed Sept. 3, 1959 INVENTOI? N. C. VAUGHAN-PARKS a.

A TTORNEYS United States Patent 3,019,960 HANDLE CARTON Norman C. Vaughan-Parks, 1500 Lakeshore Road, .Toronto Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 837,812 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to cartons of the type customarily having a central partition and to cartons of the type having pull-out handles.

The invention provides a central partition of considerable strength distinguished -by its simplicity and ease of manufacture and uninterrupted contour and at the same time by the reinforcement which it supplies to the end carton walls.

The invention also provides an improved carton of the type having-slotted upper lids and a handle normally resting in the carton but which is designed to be extended through said slots to allow the carton to be carried. The improvement allows the easy opening of the carton without the necessity of retracting the handle and is so designed that the extension of the handle for carrying purposes assists in the later opening of the carton.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 shows an empty open carton in accord with the invention,

FIGURE 2 shows a filled sealed carton in accord with the invention having the handle extended, and

FIGURE 3 shows a filled carton open with the handle still extended.

'In the drawings is shown a carton having side, end and bottom walls and having a pair of end top flaps 12 (called end flaps 12) connected to the end walls of the carton, upper and lower top flaps 14 and 15 hingedly connected respectively to the two side walls of the carton.

Extending substantially the length of the carton and adapted to be located substantially equidistant from the side walls is a central partition 16 comprising a main body portion 17 extending the length of the carton and a portion 18 extending upwardly therefrom of shorter length than the main body portion and terminating short of each end of the main body portion at an upwardly extending defining edge 20. There is thus defined upper edges 22 of the main body portion between each end thereof and defining edges 20.

. The portion 18 is, as will hereafter be described, adapted to project upwardly from the top of the carton and therefore is provided with a slot '19 of size to receive the fingers of the carrier and placed so as to be above the cover when edges 22 are bearing against the top cover flaps.

The partition and handle member preferably is made of cardboard and of double thickness over at least part of its extent. The handle is preferably made from a single blank and doubled over along the top edge 24 of the handle portion. The panel 25 on one side of the top edge 24 of the blank extends downwardly to a depth to equal the distance from handle top edge 24 to a bottom edge 26, the depth of the carton. This material extends the length of the carton to form the central partition thereof.

The panel 28 on the other side of the top edge 24 of the blank extends downwardly a short distance onto the body portion ,17 to form an edge 22 a double thickness shoulder extending to each end of the carton.

The panel 25 is of a greater length than that necessary to form the central partition whereby end flaps 32 are provided to be folded at right angles to the central partition at each end thereof and to form support therefor, the width of the unfolded part of the panel 25 being such that flaps 32 rest against the end walls of the carton.

The panel 28 is also of greater length than that of the carton whereby end flaps 34 are provided tobe folded at right angles to the central partition at each end thereof to help support the central partition, the width of the unfolded part of panel 28 being such that flaps 3'4 rest against the end walls of the carton.

The flaps 32 and 34 are substantially equal in width and together equal the width of the carton whereby the outside flap edges rest snugly against the side walls of the carton and center the central partition in the carton.

It is unnecessary that the doubled portions of the central partition be attached together but as will be noted from the drawings, the material 37 cut out to form the handle slots 19 in both doubled over portions may be left attached to the handle member on the upper side of the slots 19 which not only allows the folding of both pieces of slot forming material 37 through a single one of the slots 19 but also acts both to hold the two handle forming members together andto form a comfortable hand .grip.

The cover flaps are cut to co-operate with the use of the extensible-retractable handle. End flaps 12 are on their edges remote from their fold lines provided with a 'U-shaped cut-out for a portion of their depth to receive the side edges 20 of the handle. The lower top flap '15 adapted to underlie the upper top flap 14 is provided with a longitudinal slot 40 to allow extension of the handle therethrough and the side edges of the slot, corresponding to the extent thereof nearest the slot 19 are provided with cut-outs 42 extending upward from the slot towards the side fold lines of the side flaps to allow insertion of the fingers into the carton to contact the handle slot and pull out the handle.

The lower flap 15 underlies the other and is provided with longitudinal slot 40 and cut-outs 42. However the upper top cover flap 14 is formed with cut-outs that are hinged to the upper flap in the form of tabs 44 so that the carton is closed at the tops until the tabs 44 are pushed in to allow the handle to be grasped.

Tabs 46 are provided at each end of the longitudinal slot in the upper top cover flap to project into the slot. They terminate in a hinge just beyond the paths of the side edges 20 of the handle forming member. The upper top cover fiap is scored or weakened between the end of the tabs and the end edges of the top flap 14 as at 48.

In operation a filled carton, with the handle 18 resting below the top edges thereof, is closed by successively closing both end flaps 12, the lower and upper top flaps 15 and 14 and gluing the top flaps together on an area A. The tabs 46 of top ilap 14 then overlie the top edge 24 of the handle 18. When the handle 18 is pulled up, the tabs are pushed back by the rising edge 24 for easy grasp by the fingers when the carton is to be opened. To open the carton the upstanding tabs 46 are grasped by the finger and thumb and pulled to tear the material of flap 14 along the score lines 48. The glued portion A of the upper top flap 14 is thus severed from the unglued portion whereby the remainder of the upper top flap 14 may be swung upwardly. The lower top flap with a portion A of the top flap glued thereto is then swung upwardly and the contents of the carton may be removed.

It will be understood that the tabs 46 and co-operating tear strips which act to sever the glued from the unglued portion of the top flap need not extend in alignment with the top cover flap slot as shown but may extend from the central slot thereof to any free edge of the upper top flap at any location outside the ungiued portion of the carton.

What I claim as my invention is:

A carton having bottom and side walls, a top wall formed of overlapping upper and lower top flaps each hinged to a side wall and an outwardly movable handle in said carton, comprising elongated registering slots in both said top flaps terminating short of the edge-boun- 3 daries of each of said flaps, said slots being at least as long and as wide as said handle to permit passage of said handle outwardly therethrough, tabs hinged to said upper top flap along hinge lines bordering said slot, said tabs extending into said slot and being separated from each other in said slot by a predetermined minimum distance less than the length of said handle thereby to be engaged and swung outwardly when said handle is moved outwardly through said slot, and a pair of weakened lines in said upper top flap extending from said slot at the ends 10 of the hinge line of each of said tabs to a free edge of said upper top flap to define a severable strip, the area of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,387,325 Goodyear Oct. 23, 1945 2,704,617 Stieve Mar. 22, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 449,968 Great Bnitain -a July 8, 1936 

